Quick Tips, Reviews & Cool Stuff

The Basics

ABT's

These little gems are like the diamonds of the BBQ World

I'm not sure who first coined the phrase "Atomic Buffalo Turd", but thank the BBQ Gods they came up with the idea. Call them what you will, but with just a few simple ingredients, you can create an easy appetizer that will not soon be forgotten.

If Jalapenos are too hot for you, try using sweet mini peppers to create "Wimpy Buffalo Turds" or WBT's!

There are many, many variations on ABT's, including whether you make "boats" or cut the top off and cook them standing up in a rack. I've decided I like boats because it gives a little less pepper to filling ratio.

What you will need:

A number of jalapeno or sweet chili peppers.

Cream cheese

Some form of meat. (I prefer italian sausage)

Bacon

Mozerella cheese (optional)

Pick your Peppers: I waffle back and forth between jalapeno and sweet peppers. Pictured below are sweet chilis.

If you decide to use jalapenos, you will likely want to remove the seeds AND the membrane inside the pepper to knock the heat back a bit. If you want them hotter, just leave some of the membrane in.

Seeds and membrane can be removed by scraping with a spoon or other dull edged device.

When you have them all scraped, you are ready to pipe in the cream cheese.

You can try to spoon this in, or take the easier approach of making a pastry bag with a simple plastic bag.

I've taken to using low fat cream cheese. The taste is not that different, and it will reduce the fat/calorie content ever so slightly.

Place the softened cream cheese into a plastic sandwich bag and smoosh it all down to one corner of the bag. Then with scissors, clip off a small corner of the bag.Voila! Now you just squeeze the bag to apply the cream cheese to your pepper boats.

Next, lay a small portion of sausage on top of the cheese. I actually use fully cooked frozen Italian Style Turkey Meatballs that have been defrosted. This gives the flavor of italian sausage as a convenient and lower fat alternative.

Apply a half slice of bacon over the top of each boat and put them on the smoker. You can also grill indirectly if you prefer. You probably shouldn't try to grill over direct heat, as the fat in the bacon will cause nearly instant flareups. Plus the peppers will cook before the bacon.

Leave your ABT's on the smoker/grill until the bacon is cooked. If you notice the outside ABT's getting charred on the bottom, shuffle them around a little, moving the more cooked ABT's to a cooler spot.